Box Score

 

MIAMI (79)

                          fg    ft    rb             
                   min   m-a   m-a   o-t   a  pf   tp
C Butler            41  5-16   6-9   1-6   2   4   17
M Allen             23   3-5   2-4   2-7   0   4    8
B Grant             32   6-9   1-2   1-8   1   5   13
E House             36  4-13   0-0   0-3   6   2   11
T Best              29   4-9   1-1   0-6   2   2    9
L Ellis              7   0-1   0-0   0-1   0   1    0
R Butler            19  5-12   0-0   0-2   1   4   15
M James             10   0-1   0-0   0-1   3   0    0
V Stepania          21   2-3   0-0   2-6   0   1    4
A Carter             9   0-3   0-0   0-1   3   1    0
S Marks             13   1-3   0-0   1-2   0   3    2
E Jones            DNP  - STRAINED LEFT GROIN                            
  
_____________________________________________________
TOTALS             240 30-75 10-16  7-43  18  27   79
_____________________________________________________

Percentages: FG-.400, FT-.625. 3-Point Goals:
9-17, .529 (C Butler 1-2, E House 3-6, T Best
0-1, L Ellis 0-1, R Butler 5-7). Team 
Rebounds: 9. Blocked Shots:8 (B Grant 2, M 
Allen 2, R Butler 2, V Stepania, C Butler). 
Turnovers:17 (C Butler 5, B Grant 4, T Best 
2, S Marks 2, V Stepania 2, M Allen 2). 
Steals: 10 (E House 4, B Grant 2, C Butler 2,
V Stepania, M Allen).


NEW JERSEY (84)

                          fg    ft    rb             
                   min   m-a   m-a   o-t   a  pf   tp
R Jefferson         40  5-14   7-8   1-6   1   1   17
K Martin            38 11-22  6-13  2-10   1   3   28
J Collins           30   1-4   5-5   3-8   0   2    7
K Kittles           32  2-13   4-4   1-8   3   2    9
J Kidd              38   4-6   2-4   0-8  10   0   12
R Rogers             9   2-4   0-0   0-0   0   1    4
L Harris            22   1-6   0-0   1-2   1   1    3
A Williams          18   1-2   2-2   2-3   1   2    4
C Childs             5   0-0   0-0   0-0   0   1    0
B Scalabrine         8   0-1   0-0   0-0   0   1    0
A Johnson          DNP  - COACH'S DECISION                               
T Slay             DNP  - COACH'S DECISION                               
  
_____________________________________________________
TOTALS             240 27-72 26-36 10-45  17  14   84
_____________________________________________________

Percentages: FG-.375, FT-.722. 3-Point Goals:
4-9, .444 (K Kittles 1-4, J Kidd 2-3, L 
Harris 1-1, B Scalabrine 0-1). Team Rebounds:
9. Blocked Shots:1 (J Collins). Turnovers:14 
(J Kidd 5, L Harris 3, A Williams 2, R 
Rogers, K Kittles, K Martin, R Jefferson). 
Steals: 12 (K Martin 5, J Kidd 2, R Jefferson
2, C Childs, K Kittles, B Scalabrine).

-------------------------------------------
MIAMI                13  26  24  16   -  79
NEW JERSEY           27  20  13  24   -  84
------------------------------------------- 

Technical fouls: None.
Flagrant fouls: New Jersey 1 (K Martin, 1:14 
3rd). Miami 1 (A Carter, 6:28 2nd).  A: 
11,656. T: 2:10. Officials: Bernie Fryer, Ed 
Malloy, Leon Wood.

Extended Box

 

MIAMI (79) AT NEW JERSEY (84)

MIAMI

                                               REBOUNDS                        
PLAYER           POS  MIN  FGM-FGA  FTM-FTA  OFF-DEF-TOT  AST  PF  ST  TO  PTS
======           ===  ===  =======  =======  ===========  ===  ==  ==  ==  ===
 
C BUTLER          F    41    5-16     6-9      1   5   6    2   4   2   5   17
M ALLEN           F    23    3-5      2-4      2   5   7    0   4   1   2    8
B GRANT           C    32    6-9      1-2      1   7   8    1   5   2   4   13
E HOUSE           G    36    4-13     0-0      0   3   3    6   2   4   0   11
T BEST            G    29    4-9      1-1      0   6   6    2   2   0   2    9
L ELLIS                 7    0-1      0-0      0   1   1    0   1   0   0    0
R BUTLER               19    5-12     0-0      0   2   2    1   4   0   0   15
M JAMES                10    0-1      0-0      0   1   1    3   0   0   0    0
V STEPANIA             21    2-3      0-0      2   4   6    0   1   1   2    4
A CARTER                9    0-3      0-0      0   1   1    3   1   0   0    0
S MARKS                13    1-3      0-0      1   1   2    0   3   0   2    2
E JONES               DNP  - STRAINED LEFT GROIN                                      
  
TOTALS                240   30-75    10-16     7  36  43   18  27  10  17   79
                            (.400)  (.625)  TEAM REBS:  9 TOTAL TO: 17 (8 PTS)     

NEW JERSEY

                                               REBOUNDS                         
PLAYER           POS  MIN  FGM-FGA  FTM-FTA  OFF-DEF-TOT  AST  PF  ST  TO  PTS
======           ===  ===  =======  =======  ===========  ===  ==  ==  ==  ===
 
R JEFFERSON       F    40    5-14     7-8      1   5   6    1   1   2   1   17
K MARTIN          F    38   11-22     6-13     2   8  10    1   3   5   1   28
J COLLINS         C    30    1-4      5-5      3   5   8    0   2   0   0    7
K KITTLES         G    32    2-13     4-4      1   7   8    3   2   1   1    9
J KIDD            G    38    4-6      2-4      0   8   8   10   0   2   5   12
R ROGERS                9    2-4      0-0      0   0   0    0   1   0   1    4
L HARRIS               22    1-6      0-0      1   1   2    1   1   0   3    3
A WILLIAMS             18    1-2      2-2      2   1   3    1   2   0   2    4
C CHILDS                5    0-0      0-0      0   0   0    0   1   1   0    0
B SCALABRINE            8    0-1      0-0      0   0   0    0   1   1   0    0
A JOHNSON             DNP  - COACH'S DECISION                                         
T SLAY                DNP  - COACH'S DECISION                                         
  
TOTALS                240   27-72    26-36    10  35  45   17  14  12  14   84
                            (.375)  (.722)  TEAM REBS:  9 TOTAL TO: 14 (19 PTS)    
  
   MIAMI              13   26   24   16   -   79
   NEW JERSEY         27   20   13   24   -   84
  
BLOCKED SHOTS: MIAMI - B GRANT 2, M ALLEN 2, R BUTLER 2, V STEPANIA,
C BUTLER.  NEW JERSEY - J COLLINS.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: MIAMI 9-17 (.529), C BUTLER 1-2, E HOUSE 3-6, T BEST 0-
1, L ELLIS 0-1, R BUTLER 5-7. NEW JERSEY 4-9 (.444), K KITTLES 1-4,
J KIDD 2-3, L HARRIS 1-1, B SCALABRINE 0-1.
TECHNICAL FOULS: NONE.
FLAGRANT FOULS: NEW JERSEY 1 (K MARTIN, 1:14 3RD,). MIAMI 1 (A CARTER,
6:28 2ND). 
OFFICIALS: BERNIE FRYER, ED MALLOY, LEON WOOD.
A - 11,656. T - 2:10.

Game Story

EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Ticker) -- A game that was 
supposed to be a laugher turned into a desperate struggle for
the suddenly punchless New Jersey Nets.

Kenyon Martin scored 28 points and Jason Kidd atoned for a
sub-par effort with a strong stretch run as the Nets rallied for
an 84-79 victory over the last-place Miami Heat.

After rookie Rasual Butler's 3-pointer with 9:57 left gave Miami
a 68-60 lead, Kidd scored nine points and dished out five
assists to lead the Nets on a 24-11 game-ending run.

With the Nets clinging to a 79-77 edge in the final minute, Kidd
drained a 3-pointer with six seconds left, a hair before the
shot clock expired.

Kidd finished with 12 points and 10 assists for the Atlantic
Division leaders, who avoided consecutive home losses for the
first time this season with just their second win in five games.

"I tried to get the other guys involved," said Kidd, who was a
quiet 4-of-6 from the field.  "It doesn't always have to come to
me, shooting the ball 15 or 16 times a night to win."

Rookie Caron Butler scored 17 points and Rasual Butler finished
with 15 for the Heat, who were without injured leading scorer
Eddie Jones for the fourth straight game.

"It's the same thing all the time with our team," Heat coach Pat
Riley said.  "We got off to bad starts the last three games. We
got back into (this) game in the second quarter, we really
played well in the third and took the lead.  We were 7-for-21 in
the the fourth."

The Heat, who can include a 31-point loss at Detroit on Monday
among three consecutive defeats, sank only two baskets over the
last 5 1/2 minutes.

Martin shot 11-of-22 from the field, which actually was better
than his performance from the line.  Martin went 6-of-13 from
the stripe for New Jersey, which hit 26-of-36 free throws.

"I really tried to come out tonight," said Martin, who scored 19
points in the first half.  "I tried to start the game off on
the right note, but it just went back to the way we had been
playing."

The Heat got to the foul line just 16 times, hitting 10.

Martin grabbed 10 rebounds, none bigger than the airball by
Lucious Harris that fell into his arms with 10 seconds left.
After catching Harris' jumper from the right elbow, Martin
alertly swung the ball out to the top of the key to Kidd, who
just beat the shot clock.

"Lu was under distress, and he threw up a shot I thought he
would make," Kidd said.  "K-Mart came up with the rebound and
threw it out to me.  I knew the shot clock was down, my
intention was just to get it up and it went in."

"I really didn't get a chance to put a body on Kenyon," said
Miami's Brian Grant, who finished with 13 points and eight
boards.  "The guy missed it so bad that he threw it right into
Kenyon's hands.  We just needed one more rebound.  We had
opportunities."

The Nets led by as many as 17 in the second quarter, but fell
behind by a 60-57 margin on Caron Butler's 18-footer with 63
seconds left in the third period.

The Nets, who failed to score more than 90 points for the fifth
straight game, regained the lead for good at 78-76 on a
three-point play by Jason Collins with 1:50 remaining in the
game.

"A win is a win," said Nets coach Byron Scott, who improved to
7-4 against Riley, his coach with the great Los Angeles Lakers
teams of the 1980s.  "I don't say it often, but Miami is one of
those teams that force you to play a little different."

Eddie House scored 11 points for the Heat, which shot 40 percent
(30-of-75) from the field but hit 9-of-17 3-pointers.  Rasual
Butler paced Miami from long range with five baskets from the
arc.

New Jersey led at halftime, 47-39, but shot just 3-of-14 from
the field and committed five turnovers in the third period.

Each team suffered prolonged offensive droughts, as the Heat
scored 13 points in the first quarter while New Jersey totaled
just 13 in the third.